1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to concrete form framing and positioning structures, and more particularly to biodegradable structures for bridging concrete forms while securing in such alignment suspended anchor bolts for partial immersion into the poured concrete.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pouring wet concrete into temporary forms that determine its eventual shape is a process that occurs with substantial frequency in virtually all construction. In each instance, form integrity against distortion by the weight of the wet concrete and the correct placement retention of various anchors that are to be captured in the hardened concrete are matters of constant concern as cured concrete is wholly unforgiving. These concerns over the shape and placement dimensional fidelity are therefore a subject of repeated attention from various governmental and private supervisors and inspectors and various retaining fixtures have been devised which assure their proper selection and placement.
In the past various mechanisms have been devised which in one manner or another suspend anchoring bolts between the walls of a concrete form to be thereafter immersed to the desired depths and at the desired location while the concrete is poured into the form. Examples of such suspending structures can be found in the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 7,103,984 to Kastberg; U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,436 to Delgado, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,554 to Tyler; and others. While suitable for the purposes intended each of the foregoing describes what is essentially a positioning template for an anchor bolt devoting only a limited focus to concerns over bolt selection, form integrity, inspection convenience and their collection after use or their proper disposal.
Those prior art references that appear to attend, at least in part, to form integrity concerns, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,224 to Adams; U.S. Pat. No. 7,225,589 to Smith; and also the published continuation in part thereof US 2006/0016140 fail to address the inspection convenience of the anchor bolt selections and placements before the concrete is poured. In large building projects this inattention to inspection convenience tends to raise labor costs as employees and equipment stand by to allow the inspectors to finish their job.
Those in the building industry appreciate that the inspection process has its own inherent benefits. Anticipating the arrival of an inspector will direct the focus of the workers to the details that form the inspection check list and these same details are also the significant aspects of the quality of their work. Anchor bolt locating mechanisms that are not only useful for their primary function but also useful in the bolt selection and form integrity while also assisting the inspection process will, by these combined features, assure proper attention to detail and I have therefore described in my prior applications devices having all these attributes.
When implemented as permanent tooling these devices often incur the cost and burden associated with inventory maintenance and also its storage and if not properly collected a potential burden on the environment may result. To address both these concerns that could possibly encumber these very useful tools I have further improved their form and material selection with an eye for fabrication simplicity and therefore low cost when implemented in fully biodegradable materials which allows discarding right into the soil adjacent the concrete form. It is these further aspects that I now describe.